


Guardian of the Sith Temple

by ElleElle20



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Body Worship, Burn Survivor, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fate & Destiny, First Time, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Healing, Force Lightning (Star Wars), Healing Love, Hopeful Ending, Inspired by Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame, Making Love, Post Star Wars-TFA, Self-Sacrifice, Sex, Smut, Survivor Guilt, Temple Love, Touch-Starved, ambiguous HEA, depictions of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:55:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29420463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElleElle20/pseuds/ElleElle20
Summary: Rey discovers and befriends a disfigured, and badly crippled guardian of the Sith Temple on Mustafar.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey
Comments: 72
Kudos: 85
Collections: 2021 Reylo MonsterLoving Valentines





	1. The Guardian

Hot ash spewed into the air, lightly dusting the forsaken landscape beyond the temple doors, and thin layers of dirt and soot covered the obsidian tiled and earthen floor of the inner chamber. Gathering up all the discarded shin guards, broken helms, and empty boots, he shuffled and lumbered about, completely unaware of what awaited him in the corridor beyond. “I am the Guardian,” he mindlessly muttered to himself, as was his usual way of going about his duties. Shrouded in darkness, the hooded figure moved stiltedly yet steadily.

He had always been here, or so … it seemed, buried deep beneath the volcanic Gahenn Plains.

Many had once come to the Sith Temple built over the remains of Corvax Fortress...beneath what was now Fortress Vader. Sith Cultists came to see the Sith Caves and to make pilgrimages to the World of Fire, the locus, and Vader’s Pathway into Time. They came to bleed crystals to seek immortality and artifacts.

Then the many had stopped coming.

Buried with the bones of Sith lords and Jedi warriors alike, were the empty shells of inquisitors’ armor. Gone now were their lost, hushed histories - but he remained.

His lonely existence had become one purely of repetition and isolation. It suited him. He was forever chained to this place since the great disgrace, and he always would be. There was nothing that could ever set him free of this tomb… or from himself.

The war had ended years ago. How many years, he couldn’t even recall. And Snoke… His Master was long gone. He was no more.

Leader Snoke and his accursed force lightning was the punishment for wanting more... _fighting_ for more. That punishment was his torture and was invariably his undoing. Pain--a great rippling, burning, searing pain! Unconscionable agony wracking through his whole body, forcing him to his knees and crushing him down unmercifully to writhe uncontrollably on the throne room floor of the _Supremacy._

He shook his head repeatedly, forcing his mind back from those horrifying memories. His punishment, torture, and wounding had ended, and he must move on and tend to his duties - relegated now to live a life of the lowly Temple Guardian. Once the man known to be the most feared Dark Force user in the Galaxy, the infamous warlord, the dutiful worthy apprentice, son of darkness, heir apparent to Lord Vader, the future Supreme Leader...

Madness. All Nonsense. It’s all just nonsense. He was the Temple Guardian, now.

****

She was drawn here and could not truly explain why. Of course, there was her curiosity regarding the possible existence of the two Sith holocrons purportedly once owned by Darth Vader, and there was also the newfound information contained in the Jedi texts that had piqued her interest. There was another reason, though.

Though it was a very unsettling feeling that pulled her to this horrid yet fabled place, she couldn’t explain it, but she also couldn’t resist.  
Once Rey entered the coordinates into the Navicomp, she knew that she would have to rely on her instincts and her instincts alone to survive.

Near the Western Reaches of the Outer Rim territories, Rey dropped out of hyperspace.

“Here it is: Mustafar. Hmmm… There’s no moon and...only the one sun. Breathable atmosphere. Why am I about to land on this hellscape?” She mused to herself as she went over the planet’s data file, and repeating to herself what she had heard many times with defiance. “Legend has it that this was where Jedi went to die.”

After landing, she repelled directly into the largest chamber. She ignited her saber as she descended, casting an amber glow all along the cavernous walls and over the dust covered floor.

Landing on her feet and dropping her bags, she returned her saber to her shoulder. She began to take in her surroundings and marveled at the temple’s antiquity. There was much power and history in the hallowed place.

Rey immediately sensed that she was not alone. There was indeed a lifeform present, she knew it. The young Jedi stood stone-still and shut her eyes. She purposefully and carefully connected to the Force, adeptly searching out the force signature she’d first felt only moments ago. Her suspicions were confirmed-- someone else was in the temple.

Some disturbed stones and fragments of loose shale suddenly crumbled down from the ridge of a rock face along the far wall of the temple’s war room, startling her.

“Hello? Who’s there?” Rey bit into her lip as she stepped lightly and lowered her saber to her side, but never igniting it. Squinting, she noticed a very mysterious cloaked life form looming large in the distance, and she called out once more. “Who’s there?”

The way he moved was cumbersome, heavy, and leaden.

Ever watchful and vigilant, Rey dared to draw a little nearer.

“I am the Guardian. Take what you will.” He turned away and staggered toward the stone archway.

She finally ignited her saber and shone it in the direction of the creature.

“You seem injured. Are you hurt?” She asked, calling out to his retreating back.

His voice boomed, “Take what you will and… go!”

Once again he pivoted, dashing away and disappearing through another alcove. For all his bulk, she noted he was impressively agile.

“But… but wait. Wait, please...wait!” Rey trotted gingerly behind him in an attempt to catch him.

He was clearly more familiar with his surroundings and she struggled to keep up. Rey could tell the temple held no secrets from him. He had turned away quickly and scurried through what looked to be a solid wall. His movements were staggered, hobbled, and hampered in some way. Even so, they were quick and sure.

Rey felt there was something familiar about him, for all that he was little more than a hulking form in the distance. Sight unseen, she continued to call out to him with an instinctive urgency.

“Are you Sith?” Rey asked, hoping to get him to stop and speak with her. She sensed there was nothing to fear from him, even if he was a Sith.

His voice bellowed out from up above her now and her eyes flickered from shadow to shadow, trying to perceive him. “No, not Sith. Never Sith.”

It was an odd response from someone inhabiting a Sith Temple. Stranger still, he sounded...angry at her query. Resentful.

“Are you all alone here?” Her eyes searched behind every column and crevice. Rey wanted to track his steps but not have him feel hunted. For some reason, she felt kindly disposed toward him.

He continued to conceal himself, his hooded head pressed flush against the stone wall.

“I am the Guardian.”

Caught by that unique tonal quality again, Rey thought it was his booming voice she recognized; there was just something about it that plucked at her memory.

“Please let me help you. You seem wounded… “

“No. Take what you will and go!” He turned his back to her once more and started to dodder off.

“But I can help you.” Rey extended her right hand to him. She tried to use the force to stop him and hold him in place, he broke free easily and quickly fled.

Shocked by his easy escape, Rey sucked in a breath.

_“He’s a Force-user.”_ She uttered low and breathy.

Obsessed now with finding and engaging with this Temple Guardian, Rey refused to be thwarted. She stubbornly resigned herself to stay. As she returned to her bags and settled down on the temple floor, she methodically unpacked her supplies to make camp.

After finishing her rations and sipping some water, Rey yawned and stretched to relieve cramped muscles from her long journey. She sat cross-legged and started to study the temple, her eyes scanning and then settling on the many enormous columns, pillars, and the elaborately carved stone structures. Before much time had passed, though she found herself gradually dozing off.

****

Nearby, in a very low dug trench submerged in an old, neglected fire pit, he peered out over the rim at his uninvited guest... and was mesmerized by her.

His mind faltered as it grabbed at shards, many little broken pieces -- the Forest on Takodana and the interrogation room on Starkiller. Yes. Yes.

He scurried along the wall, climbed up and drew closer. Excitement rose within him as certainty filled his mind.

_“It’s her. Her!”_

He watched her sleep, careful not to make a sound. Peering through each of the well-worn holes in the crag behind the oldest of the ancient altars, he silently took in each exquisite detail of her face. Riveted now, he was unable to turn his eyes away. He couldn’t. His heart was pounding. His heart was afire with hurt, pain, and the unexpected pleasure of reminiscence.

_**It’s Her!** _

His heart ached and he hung his head, heavy with the newfound knowledge. He whispered to himself as the weight of it had hunched his shoulders.

“You called me a monster, once. You were right. I was one then...and I am one now.”

His entire body now shuddered with the intense fear of discovery. Deep down, the Guardian desperately wanted her to stay, but at the same time, he became so distressed at the notion of being found out.

_She can’t learn the truth..._

****

When Rey awoke, she surveyed her surroundings. She immediately noticed a very old, battered brown satchel that was unfamiliar among her possessions. She opened it to find dozens of dried salted Spark Roaches piled high inside. It must have been left during the night.

“Well, thank you, whoever you are!” She rose to her feet and spun around in a complete circle, yelling out into the enormous temple.

After all, Spark Roaches were known for being a great source of protein and were high in nutritional value. It was meant to be a gift. _Who was this loathsome beast, this pitiful creature of darkness?_ Rey thought to herself.

“Thank you, Guardian!” Her voice echoed loudly through the vaulted chamber.

As though her call had summoned him, she felt his presence once again. Rey knew he was close. She felt his eyes on her.

Instantly, a rustling could be heard from deep within a cavern to the left of the chamber. She searched for and eventually spied him. This time, Rey saw him much more clearly.

“Oh no! You’ve been burned... burned badly,” she whispered breathily as she carefully studied what she could barely make out of his partially hidden face-- scarred, badly mangled, stretched skin from what appeared to be severe burns.

“Please, please allow me to help you.” Rey reached out to lock him into a force hold.

“No, no…” He seemed to struggle with himself, as though he couldn't accept the loving care and genuine concern that poured from Rey's lips.

Feeling regret for trapping him in her grasp as he struggled, Rey released him from her force grip. Taking another tentative step to close the distance between them, she held out her hands, palms-up to prove she was no longer a threat.

“I’m so sorry. That was unnecessary and so inexcusable.” She continued to approach him, drawing nearer. “I. Am. Sorry.”

Still frozen in place, though now by choice, he only mumbled to himself, still attempting to avoid her curious stares. She only just caught a bit of it.

“...In the shadows, there is power.”

“What does that mean?” Rey studied him more closely and realized he was trembling.

He was much larger than she’d originally thought and his massive shoulders proved to be hunched as though he were hiding his size. He pressed himself firmly into the wall like he was attempting to make himself smaller.

“Please! Just hold still, please,” she begged him.

Finally, he quieted and stilled. He softly whispered once more, “In the shadows, there is power.”

Rey tilted her head as she slowly pulled back the hood of his robes. First, it was his eyes that truly captured her. Rey gasped at the very sight of them-- deep dark, rich brown, and amber orbs that pierced and seemed quite soulful. They veritably reached out to her, pleading.

There was the familiarity again, for only a second. She felt a knowing, an acknowledgement. Then she was drawn to his hideously deformed face, which was half hidden beneath a shock of long, black hair, matted and unkempt. The mere sight of his visage frightened her, so she gasped.

Rey felt as if she was suffocating, struggling hard for air.

Seeing her reaction, he quickly pulled his hood back over his face as he scrambled into the corner, cowering. She couldn’t help noticing the very same burns on his wrists and hands when he grasped the hood of his cloak.

Curious, Rey inquired, “May I ask...what your true name was, Guardian?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head vigorously. “It No Longer Matters!”

“My name is Rey. What happened to you? Who hurt you?”

Inching closer, she wished to make a deeper connection and to endear herself to him. Perhaps then, he would feel easy in her presence.

He froze, totally and completely.

_**“Rey…”**_ He trembled as he softly blew out her name with a waft of a whisper. The sound left his lips like lyrics from a song long remembered.

_And there it is again---that voice. That all too familiar voice._

“Yes, I’m Rey.” She arched an inquiring eyebrow. “Who hurt you?”

He side-eyed her in return as he brought his wrist up abruptly, hiding his mouth.

“My Master... my master hurt me.”

With pity in her eyes, she pressed him further, “But… why?”

His mouth appeared to be unscarred, unscathed, and his lips were a very warm pink, soft and plush. They showed nothing of what must have been a harsh life here on Mustafar.

“I have some medical supplies back at my camp.” She spoke simply, offering him the softest, kindest smile in hopes of garnering his trust. Rey knew there were bacta patches at the very least.

“I am going to retrieve them, all right? Wait here for me, please.”

When Rey returned to her small makeshift encampment, she immediately sensed another lifeform in the temple. Casting a quick glance over her things, she noticed that her supplies were missing.

Someone else was clearly there. That realization was then followed by a sudden chill, and Rey knew with sobering certainty that they were also extremely close.

****


	2. The Temple

Acting on instinct, Rey lit her saber, readied to encounter a threat unseen and unknown.

She scanned the entire chamber, her force-sharpened eyes sweeping across every lit torch, each ash-covered stairwell, and elaborately carved Sith altars. She raised her outstretched hand to strengthen and amplify her force reception. Shutting her eyes, she reached out to seek the source of the danger, homing in on it swiftly.

Thinking quickly, she asked herself whether facing an enemy here on Vader’s own planet was wise. Perhaps, it would be better to hide. She feared, however, venturing too deeply within the temple. It was a veritable maze of tunnels, corridors, inner chambers, and hidden passageways. Rey had learned only the day before that pursuing someone through this labyrinth would not only be frustrating, but utterly futile.

So firming her resolve, she dug a pointed toe into the temple’s earthen floor, then circled it around her to take a defensive stance.

Out of the shadows, there appeared a lone female figure. A double-edged saber ignited with a sudden furied thrust, casting a crimson glow. What caught Rey’s attention first was a deep sense of unbridled rage accompanied by another profound chill.

“What brings you here, Jedi?” the woman demanded.

She approached very slowly and began to circle Rey like a predator. Her steps were deliberate, guarded, and yet sure-footed. She was wearing a red and black visor and clad in a black padded vest, leggings, and boots. She was an imposing figure.

Rey was undaunted, however, and replied through gritted teeth, “What matter is that of yours?”

The intruder menacingly raised her saber with both hands just above her shoulder, dug in her heels, and struck an offensive posture.

“This is a Sith Temple! You have no matters here, Jedi!” she roared abrasively and her obvious aggression ripped right through the thick, stifling air of the temple.

It was clear she was a formidable combatant, but Rey knew she must dispatch her as soon as possible. As Rey began to mirror her movements, her adversary rushed at her, wielding her saber high and aiming right for Rey’s throat. Rey blocked the initial attack and answered it with a low thrust of her own, forcing her enemy to retreat.

The mysterious darksider met the challenge and lunged powerfully, then leapt to Rey’s left, parrying as she whirled around to press the attack once again. Rey countered, attempting to subdue and block her, locking their sabers together.

The chamber filled with the harsh sound of clashing plasma while amber and red glared eerily against the carved stone walls.

The intruder grimaced under the sheer power of Rey’s resolve. Face to face, the two glowered at one another, locked together. Rey’s opponent quickly broke free, though, sliding her saber apart deftly as she backed away.

Brandishing both sabers, she immediately struck another stance to fight two handed. Demonstrating a terrifyingly impressive mastery, she twirled her weapons with an arrogant flourish. She stared Rey down and sneered.

“Hah! Now, we shall see what the Jedi is truly made of.”

Baring her teeth, she rushed at Rey again with a renewed and unharnessed fury.

Shocked and caught off guard, Rey quickly struggled to recover and delivered a strong force push. It landed the darksider hard against the chamber wall. Her enemy dropped one saber and rapidly returned the force push, seemingly midair. It toppled Rey; she landed on her back, prone and gasping as she watched her own lightsaber skid along the temple floor out of reach.

She could hear the darksider steadily rise up menacingly behind her, and Rey tasted fear for the first time.

Then without warning, a resounding roar emanated from a high ledge in the temple. It echoed so loudly, it nearly shook the chamber. Large rocks and huge pieces of masonry plummeted to the ground, crushing the intruder, and barely missed Rey.

Her pounding heart threatened to leap out of her chest. She rolled rapidly, reached out to summon her saber, and watched in anguish as she witnessed the Guardian fall from his hidden perch.

When the dust began to settle, Rey’s heart rose up into her throat. Her eyes flew towards his body, laying still in a heap -- horribly, unnaturally still.

“No...” she whimpered weakly.

Heavily wracked with fear and battle weariness, Rey’s heart pounded relentlessly in her ears as she crawled over to him. Just as she reached his side, the Guardian stirred. He moaned and groaned, writhing as he reached for his leg.

_You saved me._

Rey was both humbled and grateful for his sacrifice. He struggled pitifully, groping his way up and scrambling along the wall. He crawled frantically away from her, further into the adjoining chamber, and fell hard onto a stone bench.

Rey’s gut literally wrenched as she watched his painful collapse, deeply feeling his distress.

He strained to press his face further into his shoulder, pulling his arms up, cowering and hiding himself from her gaze. For all that, though, she saw him wince when she rose to step in closer.

Her heart reached out for the creature...the _man_ who had endangered his life to save hers.

“Please…” Rey implored as she sat and then slid carefully along the bench to draw nearer to him. He had left a small trail of blood droplets on the stone.

There appeared to be new light filtering into the chamber through the ash and dust clouding her vision, made possible by the sudden avalanche. Rey could view him more clearly and was flooded with sympathy and an overpowering sense of sorrow for his life of torment.

Her eyes traveled up his large frame, and Rey noticed he appeared to be much bigger than he’d seemed before. His skin was such a mass of tangled flesh, warped and twisted. She looked upon his face, which was grotesque, grossly misshapen, marred and fused with the purple, pink, and red damage she knew all too well.

This scarring had obviously been a result of force lightning. It pained her terribly to see it. Sadness and a tinge of anger wracked her heart. Her desire to help the Guardian intensified.

She knew, however, that those scars were rather old and right now, he was bleeding-- he was bleeding profusely. Whatever injury he had sustained in the fall required her immediate attention, not the old burns, so Rey laid her hand gently along his cheek.

“Please...” she urged him.

Rey sought and then quickly found the new wound. The blood was seeping slowly from a gash on his left calf. Acting without delay, she tore several strips off the hem of her own tunic. She cleaned, bound, and dressed the wound, but as she worked, she sensed that a great deal of his discomfort stemmed from her attention to him.

Rey also could discern that some of his unease obviously came from years of living such a touch-starved existence. She wanted desperately to reassure him, so with a warmhearted pat, she caressed his thigh.

_Then she felt it._

She felt the slightest pulse, a thrumming of his force energy and it beckoned to her. Rey was so drawn to it and as she allowed her mind to touch his in answer, Rey’s heart was enveloped with so much warmth. There was a soft wave of familiarity--his force energy seemed to welcome her, though it was rather faint and frayed about the edges, much like an old tattered lace. Yet, she was certain of it now.

Delicately, her hand reached up slowly toward his twisted brow. Her soft hazel eyes were fixed on his.

“I--I know you...” Rey’s fingers traced what seemed to be his oldest scar, marking his brow and forehead deeply, then traveled further down his right cheek all the way down to what appeared to be his shoulder.

She angled her head to the left as she squinted, trying to see past the ruin of lightning. Her eyes focused on it intently as she drew even closer to him. His dark eyes, brimming with tears, however, were begging something of her. He panted, breathing stymied, and she could see that he was still chillingly fearful of her gaze.

“I _do_ know you!” Rey gasped in recognition, stuttering as her words seemed inadequate in expressing the gravity of her discovery, “You’re… You’re…”

Instantly, what seemed an ancient memory from a lifetime ago washed over Rey. It was so real, so life-like, it nearly took her breath away. It was almost as if she was swept away, reliving it all over again.

The memory of her feet being lightly lifted off a lush forest floor, laying limp, cradled and carried in strong yet gentle hands. She’d been swept into the muscular arms of a massive man, dark, feared, and intensely foreboding. And he had carried her away. It was _Him._

The epiphany--like a bright shining light, illuminated every cell of her body.

Choking out her discovery, she gulped.

**_“...Kylo Ren!”_ **

****


	3. The Bond

At hearing her words, he slammed his eyes shut, shuddered, then sighed deeply. His whole body stilled as he turned away, seeming to huddle into himself.

Rey closed her eyes, whisked away once again--transported back in time. She went gladly...willingly.

“At night, desperate to sleep.” His words, his voice had both frightened and comforted her. “You imagine an ocean. I see it. I see the island.”

That very memory of her once-enemy was deeply etched into her mind...her very _soul._

Looking down at him now, Rey wanted to cry. This once-terribly powerful, dominant, virile, man who terrorized the whole galaxy had now been reduced to this. He was no longer her enemy; he was in distress and needed her, even if he did not wish to.

They had once shared a connection… a very deep connection. As Rey reached out now, brushed against and reconnected with his conscientiousness, his force energy, she felt him as he reached back.

His mind touched hers once again. He touched her heart.

She leaned down slowly and began to lightly kiss his scars one at a time. Rey let her soothing lips travel tenderly across the bridge of his nose, his cheek and chin, tracing tenderly along the pulled, stretched, and torn skin. It was so gentle, intimate, and yet sensual.

At first, he stiffened and grasped at his cloak in a death-grip, clutching it tightly to his chest to keep from trembling.

“Kylo.” Rey whispered softly in his ear.

She caressed him. Her hands lightly threaded through his hair as she marveled at him, wide-eyed. Placing her hands over his large fingers, still clinging to his cloak, she urged them free to reveal his tunic, tugging it loose as his grip relaxed. She pulled apart the clasp and opened his tunic to reveal his bare chest.

She sent him a ribbon of calm, reassuring energy, wanting him to feel that she held no revulsion towards him in her heart. Through the spark of vibrancy along that ribbon she received from him in return, she felt his acceptance.

Rey gently removed the fabric binding him, watching his lips as they steadily moved, though he made no sound. Before long, he was stripped, naked and vulnerable before her. Tears flowed freely from his fragile, soul-bearing eyes when she finally saw the full extent of the damage. It was evident after she freed him from the confines of his tunic.

The softest murmur emanated from him. “Rey please...don’t.”

She now knew why she had come to this Temple, finally understood why Mustafar had been calling to her. It was not for some relic, an artifact, to unearth some long-lost Sith secret, or even to find a missing treasure of Darth Vader.

This was destiny _._ She was meant to find _him._ She knew it.

“Sssshh…” she cooed to comfort him.

Again, he brought his scarred and wrinkled hands up to hide his face from her. Rey bundled up his cloak and tunic, placing the makeshift pillow beneath his head. She then carefully pulled his hands down and tucked them to his side, pleased that he allowed it.

With great tenderness, Rey lovingly rested her hands on his shoulders and laid her cheek upon his chest. His heartbeat grew faster and the relentless pounding was comforting to her.

Taking a breath, she returned to the same ministrations as before, and began kissing him once more. She kissed him softly and sweetly all along his neck, chest, and torso… on each and every scar. Although he would flinch and his breathing became unsettled occasionally, he seemed much calmer.

Drawing one hand back to cover the wound on his bandaged leg, Rey began her efforts there. Knowing it would be quick work, she believed, since the older scars would be much more difficult to heal.

His eyes widened as his skin began to tingle and subtly rose up to meet her lips. She moved tentatively, purposefully straddling his waist and placing her palms flat against his stomach. Closing her eyes and slowing her breathing, she summoned forth all the healing force energy she possessed within.

Her force energy flowed around and through them both in such a wave of energy that it totally enveloped them. It coursed throughout the whole chamber, whirling all along the walls and the ceiling high above.

Rey threw her head back suddenly and reveled in the immense power that poured between them. She focused every ounce of her healing into his body. She gazed down at Kylo lying supine, his eyes wide and wounded, his scarred face flushed with wonder.

There was an iridescent glow that seemed to cause a silvery sheen to glimmer through the subcutaneous layers of his skin. It was barely visible to the eye, but bound to him through the tide of energy coursing through them both, it was plain to her.

After a time, Rey released her palms from his abdomen and allowed them to travel up to his neck and throat, where she cautiously cupped his jaw. He gasped once more, and his breath hitched deeply in his chest at the touch of her wandering fingers.

Kylo’s whole body shuddered, immersed in a glow of warm, comforting pulses from the force ebbing and waning.

Wholly absorbed in him, Rey felt a different energy surge all along and through their bodies while her hands moved steadily up to his face. Something slight trickled in her mind like subtle drops of rain.

It was his signature once again. She sensed a faint trembling… a small strand pulling along their connection within the force. It tugged lightly at her mind, then at her body, sending shivers along the very surface of her skin. She had felt this once before, barely present but teasing her--

It was _Need._

Gingerly, her index finger barely brushed his brow where the oldest scar lay-- the mark she herself had given him. Then a very large, shaking hand rose up to grab her wrist.

Their eyes connected, fixed upon each other. She saw something somber yet fierce within the depths of his soulful brown-and-amber-flecked eyes. It seemed to ask... _no, demand_ something of her. Assured now that he was indeed the same man trapped beneath this frightening visage, this hideously deformed monster, she delved even deeper.

“Rey, I wish to keep that one,” He spoke slowly and plainly, pulling himself up onto his elbows, eyes never leaving hers.

She nodded. “I understand.”

Rey caressed his pale, scared forehead, lightly brushing the dark matts of hair back as best she could. Not entirely certain what little, if any restorative work her force healing had achieved, she attempted to smooth away his worry.

The man she believed to have been lost was now found and his request opened up something within her that had long been held under careful guard.

Pulling back, Rey shimmied down along his thighs. She tore away from his gaze and allowed her eyes to follow the path of his scar to his bare shoulder. A frisson of awareness swept through her heart and mind, and she offered him another knowing nod.

Settling herself astride him, she felt Kylo straining against her, the sudden firmness of his arousal warming her very core.

His already closed eyes seemed to squeeze even tighter, and he released a barely audible moan. Bringing her right hand back up to cup his jaw tenderly, Rey leaned down to him and pressed her mouth to his.

Her lips tingled as she slid them against his own and she felt him shiver at her lightest touch. Delicately, she delved, probed her tongue into his warm, waiting mouth, brushing wet along his. It was the sweetest kiss she could ever have imagined.

They savored each other, as though-- a dream long unrealized. Disbelief lay in his gaze, and Rey knew he reveled in the sheer sensation, just as she did. Watching him shut his eyes as tiny spasms quaked throughout him, she could tell he attempted to restrain himself. She willed him to open them again to see that their reality far surpassed that dream.

She felt his strong arms rise up and embrace her tightly. He pulled her in so close, as if letting her go meant losing her forever.

Rey sighed as she broke their kiss, bringing her cheek to his. She laid there panting, snuggled against him. She was consumed with a longing she had never known, and Rey clung to him.

A great warmth enveloped and wrapped them both up, and it seemed to billow outward to the walls of stone and up to the ceiling of his chambers. An even greater heat now emanated from them both; it pulsed and vibrated. Her aching center throbbed for him as she urgently ground along his now-throbbing, hardened length. Rey wrapped her arms fully around his neck so she could draw him up further to face her.

Kylo moaned beneath her and Rey ached to have him--ached to have _all_ of him. She pulled him back into another kiss and this one was much wilder and more passionate. Sampling the taste of him again, she whimpered into his mouth, striving to give him as much pleasure as she was taking. He returned her kiss’ vigor, earnestly nipping at her lips and lapping at her tongue.

She could sense Kylo’s wonder and amazement at her eager, unbridled seduction. His steady but hesitant thrusts up into her drove Rey mad with want as she ground against him and the fabric separating them. It ignited an urgency within her, and she slid her hand down between them to find his fastenings at the waist of his pants.

Brushing along the surface of his hyper-sensitive, marred skin, Rey strummed and played the pads of her fingertips all along his abdomen, then down into the fine hairs peppering the trail leading to his manhood.

He went rigid, struggling to stifle and control his reactions. Rey withdrew her hand, then placed it flat upon his navel, sliding along the newly formed rivulets of perspiration there. She glanced at him trying to exercise patience and restraint of her own. Blinking at him she shared with a silent, soft request deep within her hazel eyes.

“You’re still holding on. Let go…”

With his heart pounding, Kylo took her hands away and replaced them with his own. She rose up, missing their friction immediately, to allow him to inch his pants down slowly--first baring his right thigh, then his left. Rey watched his progress fondly as she shimmied out of her leggings, attentive to him.

Uncertain, Kylo’s eyes never left hers when he freed his member, hands trembling as he stroked himself tentatively. He stopped for only a brief moment, as if searching for permission, before his arms gripped her thighs, then slid her hips up as he lifted Rey back up onto his lap once more.

Her hands resumed the work of his, lining him up to her entrance and then she steadily slid down to sheath him completely. Both gasping, they resumed their dance… slow at first, then increasing in rhythm and tempo.

Rey wanted him to possess all of her.

Her hands slid up his neck to thread her fingers through the knotted waves at the nape. It was clearly a sensitive area, she realized as he seized, then shook under her touch. Grinding harder against him, she continued to hold his gaze and watched him tremble in her hold.

With another deep, wet kiss, she emboldened him further, and Kylo’s hand left her hip. He mirrored her movements and dared to comb his fingers affectionately through her hair. The mere sensation of her soft locks flowing along his wrists fueled him even further.

His warm breath blew into her ear like a revelation as their pace quickened. Rey broke away from his lips and threw her head back as a pressure grew deep inside her, whimpering.

Almost instinctively, he rolled his hips from side to side, and it touched Rey in new ways she’d never felt before. His mouth barely opened to form a wisp of an “Aaah,” involuntarily uttering it over and over.

She whined, pulsing around him, pulling him deeper and deeper. The heat coiling within her was reaching a precipice. Rey’s fingers and toes began to tingle and went numb, as her orgasm rose up her body in raging waves.

Lost to their passion, now crashing down over them both, Rey started to unravel, and she couldn’t help noticing him begin to thrust faster, chasing his own release. Kylo pushed up into her with an urgency, gripping with hands that were now hotter and rougher. Grasping her shoulder, he wrapped himself fully around her in total possession. It spurred her even further.

Rey shuddered as she cried out her climax. She saw his eyes widen in amazement at the sight of her ecstasy, as though he couldn’t believe that he was responsible for bringing her such pleasure.

Chasing after hers, Kylo growled out his spend with tiny spasms fused with a final thrust. Finally, the two collapsed back onto the bench. Entwined, they panted hot, uneven breaths in unison.

They lay together swept away in the idyllic afterglow. Soulful, satisfied, contented.

All at once, she felt his chest shudder beneath her and a low, ragged rumble began to build gradually. His entire body wracked and convulsed as he buried his face in her shoulder. It signaled to Rey what she already suspected and was keenly aware of--he was sobbing faintly.

After wiping his eyes and nose with the heel of his palm, Kylo nuzzled further into her neck as he wept the tortured years out against her love-warmed skin.

“How could you...why would you want… _me_?”

“How could I...? How could I not? Kylo...” Rey brushed his hair back again softly, leafing her fingers through it with the greatest of care. “We are bound… You and I.”

She breathed unsteady against his forehead, giving him a tender kiss as she traced her fingers delicately along his uneven, gnarled skin.

_You were always meant for me...and I was always to be yours._

****

While Rey searched the lower chambers of the temple for her supplies, most likely stolen by her fallen opponent, Kylo buried the remains of her assailant. He thought to suggest that she look for them in the darksider’s ship on the surface. He slowly rose to stand fully-- his body responding strangely to his commands and he lumbered down the corridor to his quarters.

The moment he entered, Kylo headed straight to the loosened floor tiles by his bench. There, he pulled out another brown satchel. It was identical to the one he had filled with Spark Roaches for her.

In it, were his only few treasured possessions--his old saber, pieces of his broken helm, his grandfather’s helm, and the remnants of his grandfather’s burned and tattered Jedi robes. He hadn’t looked upon any of them for several cycles, and a sigh fell heavily from his lips. Underneath the items, at the very bottom of the satchel, there was a mirror.

Peeking out from under the hood of his robes, his eyes ran hesitantly over the mirror. It was very old, badly cracked and lay encased in a heavy black woolen cloth. Drawn to it, he smoothed his fingers nimbly along the fabric. Fear rose inside him. He could not recall the last time he managed to find the courage to look at himself. Even then, all he’d seen was his accursed Master.

Irony lay there -- in that very notion. He had become what he despised most. The cracked, crooked lines of broken skin, filled with discolored gashes that still haunted him transformed him into the very man who’d rendered him thus.

There was a gnawing in the pit of his stomach, and he took in a sharp breath as he unwrapped and raised the broken mirror up to his eyes. Kylo saw himself for the first time in ages. _There were very few bits and pieces of the man he once remembered himself to have been, that stared back at him from the broken slivers and shards of cracked glass._

Damned, cursed, doomed, horrid, foul, and detestable...all were words that echoed loudly like constant angry shouting in his mind. The litany continued -- horrifying, revolting, and disgusting. He had never heard those things from others, though. In all his isolation, it was clear those were things he told himself.

Suddenly, there was a new presence in the room. He felt her and sharply whirred around to find Rey standing in his doorway.

She found him crouched over the empty satchel; it’s contents were strewn about the tiled floor. Cramped and confined, it appeared meager and ascetic. A simple fire pit lay in the center of the small chamber, long left unused. Another stone bench that was in the corner served as his cot, and there was also a spare cloak and tunic hanging from a single pin on the carved stone wall.

“This is where you live?” she asked.

He spoke just barely over a whisper, “Yes.”

Huddling over his belongings, he scraped at the floor in an attempt to gather them all in a heap, then return them safely to their hiding place.

Rey dropped her bags just inside the threshold and gestured to them. “Found them all up on the surface. They were in her ship.”

Her weak grin that seemed an attempt to ease his tension and obvious embarrassment fell quickly.

“Why did you stay all this time?” She stepped over to him, closing the distance between them.

“Was my punishment.” His words left his lips, tone conveying how he had easily accepted his condemnation.

“During the war?” She could tell it still pained him greatly to speak of it. Rey sat cross-legged at his feet looking at him attentively. “The war has long since ended.”

“What of the First Order?” His whole body tensed, eyes darting to hers sharply.

Rey lowered her eyes, answering carefully, “All dead and gone… all of the High Command. The Storm troopers have all been re-acclimated into the society of the New Republic.”

She bit her lip, Kylo could tell Rey was hesitant to continue. It was easy to see as she grew more tense that she was struggling to broach the next topic. Obviously, it was something difficult and that she dreaded.

“The General...I mean Leia, your mother. She--she, well, she…”

Kylo leaned down closer to her, placing his hands along her thighs, and stared into her eyes tenderly. “I know, Rey. I-- I felt her.”

His face was close enough to hers that their noses nearly brushed. She added. “We fought side by side, your mother and I. And I loved and respected her very much.”

“Hmmm…” He looked away to the bare stone wall. Distant, his mind drifted as his heartbeat slowed. The silence was deafening.

Kylo shakily turned back to her. Apprehensively, he crouched down beside her, then in gratitude, took her hand in his.

“Thank you.”

****

The next few days, their interactions were easy, and communication came naturally. He watched Rey busy herself daily by continuing to explore the caves and tunnels, and focus on many of the temple’s relics. This day, she had spent the afternoon scavenging the ship of her fallen foe up on the surface.

Kylo found he had begun to lose interest in his duties and responsibilities. Barely any remnants of his burns, scars, or extenuating bodily damage remained. His strengthened, even gait proved Rey’s healing successful. He never once returned to his mirror; he simply knew. He had changed inside and out.

She changed him. No one had ever shown him such kindness or compassion… such care.

He grew accustomed to having Rey near. She had completely moved into his heart. Often, they would play a game where she teased him to come with her to the surface, though Kylo always refused. Laughter would ensue.

Laughter -- what had been a lost pleasure, something others engaged in, had now become quite commonplace.

Kylo truly loved her, and how she filled his life with new meaning. Imagining a life together consumed his thoughts daily. Although deep down he felt undeserving, he desperately wished that Rey wanted the same… that she wanted to stay with him.

When she returned to his chambers later that evening, he gathered the courage to ask her outright, “Rey, do you wish to stay?”

Stunned, she only took a moment to consider.

“No, I have no place here in a Sith Temple, Kylo. I had hoped that you’d want to come with me.” Her eyes drifted to his, observing the sheer love and appreciation conveyed in the smooth, mended pale skin of his face.

Confused and conflicted, he stood slowly while he fought his internal battle silently, at first. He turned away from her, saddened by her response.

“But you don’t understand. I can never leave this place. And I never will.” His shoulders slumped almost sorrowfully, and Kylo lowered his head, forcing his chin to his chest. “Don’t you see? I am chained to this place -- I am condemned.”

His fists clenched tightly as he turned his back to her in disappointment and frustration.

“You’re not! You are no longer bound to this temple. You’re free …Kylo.” Rey wedged herself between him and the wall so he couldn’t look away from her. She smiled softly, bringing a slight crinkle above the bridge of her nose.

He lifted his eyes to look at Rey and held his breath.

She urged him with, “Free to come with me...”

It was the most natural thing, innate. She invited him, reaching out her hand.

“Kylo, we are bound, you and I. Remember...?”

Rey’s extended arm floated up toward him, seeming to displace each and every molecule in the room separating them. Her thin, tapered fingers reached out, straining toward him.

His heart burst with something he barely recognized as joy, and he simply melted. A lone tear flowed through his heavy lashes and trickled down his cheek. As Kylo reached down, grabbed up and threw his satchel over his shoulder, he lovingly offered Rey the most genuine smile in return and then...

_**He took her Hand.** _

****

**Author's Note:**

> A special heartfelt thank you to my dearest friend, LadyRhi, for agreeing to Beta this tale for me! You are forever in my purple heart!
> 
> And my love to all in the sprints who tirelessly encouraged me to write this.


End file.
